Check out this word from Mandi Miller, staff member at the Church of Eleven22, upon her return from her Panama Medical Mission Trip. It’s to be expected that people would ask what a mission trip was like when we first get home… and while the easiest response is “it was awesome,” I hate to use a generic response everytime, for every trip. While it’s always applicable, each trip is different, with different teams in different cultures doing different things to reach the people God has placed us among. So while yes, “you had to be there,” in order to fully comprehend what happened, from my own perspective, this was one of the hardest trips I’ve ever been on. We pulled the longest days, with early early mornings and late nights, traveled some of the furthest distances to accomplish our daily tasks, and I, personally, experienced more feelings of “hopelessness” in a culture where I couldn’t speak but 5 words of their language and had absolutely no medical experience to offer… And yet, in the midst of the challenge, when circumstances were seemingly impossible, my own “giftedness” was of little significance and clinic lines were filled before we even arrived in our buses, and we couldn’t foresee the details of the day’s agenda… The Lord revealed Himself as capable of the impossible, the Organizer of all the details, the Healer, Provider, and Unifier- A Father who unites us together- not just doctor to patient, “Lost” to “Found”, experienced with inexperienced… but God knit us together, weaving Americans in with Panamanians, indigenous tribes with Latinos, breaking not only those things that bind us individually, but even within a community. He shattered walls of segregation, amidst children’s games, salvation invitations and hours of dancing. He fed the masses as they came, not just physically but spiritually, meeting the needs He knew existed, as only He could ordain. And He revealed Himself as the source of words, source of confidence, source of rest and restoration. He set us free in morning devos and nightly worship, baptisms, prayers and dancing, testimonies, laughter, bus rides and even obstacles that we faced. I was asked “well what is this trip like for you?” as if it were just more hours to clock on a timesheet… oh no no no. This trip for me was joy. It was life-change. It was the first of many opportunities in my own walk, it was freedom, and trust and surrender. It was overcoming fears and obstacles so far from my control, and trusting that the same Truth I encouraged a team with applied to me too. And it was knowing, that whether I had it all together, wehether I knew what to say when, whether I made a fool of myself and ended the day laughing or crying (or started the day in that way), my God went before me, faithful and ready to accomplish His purpose, and simply invited us there to participate. Opportunities like this to share the gospel and watch the Lord reveal himself are the reasons behind Mission Air.
Posted on: Thu, 20 Mar 2014 13:32:27 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015